PM panel to ‘provide direction’ to cash transfer scheme

Moving a step closer towards the objective of replacing subsidies with direct cash transfers, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday constituted a committee to provide an "overarching vision and direction" to enable electronic money transfer and identify the schemes to be covered.

The National Committee on Direct Cash Transfers will be headed by the Prime Minister and comprising thirteen ministers, deputy chairman of the Planning Commission, UIDAI chief, the cabinet secretary and the PM's principal secretary as its convenor. Singh had last month set up the Aadhaar-based architecture to electronically transfer money to beneficiaries of welfare schemes. The Centre hopes this would reduce corruption, eliminate wastage, help control expenditure and facilitate reform in the system.

The committee's mandate, a statement issued by the PMO said, "is to provide an overarching vision and direction to enable direct cash transfers of benefits under various government schemes ... to individuals, leveraging the investments being made in Aadhaar project, financial inclusion... with the objective of enhancing efficiency, transparency and accountability."

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